WASHINGTON — House Republicans have taken on climate change as they work behind the scenes on both a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Sept. 30 and the 2012 budget.

The House leadership has made no secret of targeting Department of Energy programs on climate change and renewable energy in rounds of cuts. Yesterday, a House subcommittee held a hearing on climate change, where several scientists and Democrat House members came armed with data.

“Oh,” Inslee said, according to the newspaper, “would you like to read some? It might be helpful.”

“Maybe you’d like to read some of mine,” Gardner said.

“Be happy to,” Inslee said. “It’s a much shorter list.”

Meanwhile, Kerry Masson at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is nervous.

NREL’s funding is frozen at 2010 levels — the lab received $359.7 million that year in federal dollars, plus another $19 million for construction. Masson says she knows they are the target of cuts and is watching it closely.

“We’re hopeful, but on the other hand we should be concerned,” she said.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s office, whose district includes Golden, said Tuesday they will “go to the mattress” for the workers at NREL, who are studying, among other things, electric cars and solar projects.

“There are good jobs here, good jobs now and good jobs for the future,” said Perlmutter spokeswoman Leslie Oliver. “It’s about jobs, it’s about our national secuirty and it’s about building a strong and stable economy.”

After the climate change hearing, Gardner’s office sent over a quote about NREL, saying the Republican congressman their work, but that, “the vast majority of Americans agree that in order to pay down our debt and ensure a strong future for our children we have to stop the job-destroying spending spree that has defined the last two years and make some difficult – but necessary – cuts.”

Rep. Jared Polis[3]will introduce the same student non-discrimination act that he did last year — hoping for passage in wake of the spate of high school suicides in 2010 because of gay bullying. The law would add [4]sexual orientation or gender identity to already-in-place civil rights protections.

Polis’ co-sponsor on the Senate side will be Minnesota Sen. Al Franken and Sen. Michael Bennet[5].

Reps. Diana DeGette and Jared Polis will introduce legislation today that would force oil and gas companies to disclose what’s in their hydraulic fracturing fluids. Companies pump “fracking” fluids deep into the earth to blast oil and gas and set it free in places with rich natural gas reserves, including Garfield and Weld counties. What worries Polis and DeGette is whether fluids from that process is seeping into drinking water supplies.

The issue has drawn a bit of starpower (Jared Polis held a press conference with Academy Award nominated actor Mark Ruffalo last month) and national attention after a documentary called “Gasland” showed people in Weld County lighting their faucets on fire because there were so many toxins in the water.